Cole Brown

Authors

Memoirist who began Greyboy as a college essay while navigating identity across predominantly white institutions. What started as personal reflection evolved into a disciplined examination of race, belonging, and liminality—written with the intention to contribute to broader cultural conversations, not just document experience.

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“Writing helped me get at something true. It stopped being a diary and became a conversation.”

—Cole Brown

What Changed?

Writing Greyboy transformed Cole’s private questions about identity into a coherent narrative others could recognize themselves in. Through structure, deadlines, and editorial rigor, the work moved from introspection to insight—opening doors to cultural conversations, media interest, and long-term relevance.

Goal

Publish a legacy or mission-driven book
Clarify and organize my ideas
Build authority or thought leadership

Constraints

First-time author
Not a confident writer
Needed structure and accountability

Role

Memoir & Fiction Project

→ Read the full case study

https://www.colebrown.com/

Jonathan Tuteur

Authors

Jonathan Tuteur, PCC
Executive Coach | Speaker | Author

Author, Seizing Today

Board Member, CURE Epilepsy
Featured in Katie Couric’s Wake-Up Call
Published Contributor, The CEO Magazine

Developing Leaders Who Inspire Trust
And Strengthen Culture Through Presence

Modern Author Program

“ ”
"Writing a book was never on the bucket list. But in the hospital, I just felt like I had to get the story out."

—Jonathan Tuteur

What Changed?

The book elevated Jonathan's advocacy to national levels, including service as a Board Member, CURE Epilepsy, and being featured in Katie Couric’s Wake-Up Call
Jonathan is now a published Contributor, The CEO Magazine.

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Clarify and organize my ideas
Publish a legacy or mission-driven book

Constraints

Limited time / full-time job
Needed structure and accountability
"Wanted editorial guidance, not ghostwriting"

Role

Consultant / advisor
Healthcare or technical professional
Nonprofit or mission-driven leader

Tara Wilson

Authors

Tara Wilson is a trusts & estates attorney who turned her expertise into a book that made estate planning approachable, then used that credibility to launch WLF | Trusts & Estates and become a Boston University School of Law lecturer, all in 2020.

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“This book was really one way to let them have that conversation… in an easier manner.”

—Tara Wilson

What Changed?

The Transformation Story

Before: Big Law, high-trust expertise, low-scale reach
Tara built real chops inside major firms (Skadden, Howrey, Morgan Lewis). She could help clients, but the work was time-intensive and hard to “spread” through word-of-mouth because estate planning is emotionally loaded and easy to avoid.

2020: The unlock year
• Sept 19, 2020: publishes Trustworthy: Enlightened Estate Planning
• 2020: launches WLF | Trusts & Estates (her own firm)
• 2020: becomes Lecturer at Boston University School of Law (Advanced Estate Planning)

That stack matters. The book didn’t just add authority, it gave her a platform strong enough to support an independent firm and a teaching role.

After: The book became her scaling engine
Estate planning conversations are awkward. Tara’s book made it easier for clients to bring family and friends into the decision, without Tara having to be in the room for every first conversation.

She sees it directly: people buy the book, share it, and then show up already ready to plan. Some even come in saying they bought the book and have already started the process with her.

What the book did (the real outcome)
• Turned a taboo topic into a shareable tool clients could hand to family and friends
• Created trust at scale, without Tara needing a 60-minute intro call each time
• Helped her convert deep expertise into a brand + platform strong enough to launch a firm
• Reinforced credibility that fits naturally with an adjunct/lecturer role

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Support a consulting or speaking business
Use a book as a business asset

Constraints

Limited time / full-time job
First-time author
Balancing book with business or leadership role

Role

Consultant / advisor

Amy Wilson

Authors

Amy J. Wilson is a culture futurist and systems-minded change leader who built credibility inside government before taking her work into the wider world. She’s a former White House Presidential Innovation Fellow and founder of Culture Shift Studio, where she helps organizations spot inherited patterns, unlearn what’s blocking progress, and build trust-centered cultures where innovation can actually stick.

Book: Empathy for Change: How to Create a More Understanding World
Core lane: empathy + culture + systems + change that doesn’t wreck people

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“My book turned a government innovation career into a platform, a practice, and a clear point of view I could lead with.”

—Amy Wilson

What Changed?

Before the book, Amy had serious credentials, but they were anchored inside institutions. After the book, she had a portable message, a named framework, and a public-facing platform she could build on.

The shift started when she realized empathy wasn’t just a value, it was the thesis, and she decided on the spot to write the book.
She wrote through a fellowship and into a moment when the empathy deficit became unavoidable, which sharpened the urgency and relevance of the work.
Then momentum stacked fast: she delivered the first draft, got accepted into the Aspen Institute’s tech policy fellowship, and was launching the book while launching her company, all in the same arc.
Bottom line: the book didn’t replace her government experience, it elevated it, translated it into a broader narrative, and gave her a platform that travels.

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Clarify and organize my ideas
Support a consulting or speaking business
Use a book as a business asset

Constraints

First-time author
Needed structure and accountability
"Wanted editorial guidance, not ghostwriting"

Role

Nonprofit or mission-driven leader

Victoria Shiroma Wilson

Authors

Victoria Shiroma Wilson, EdD, PCC
Advisor, executive coach, and program architect for global leadership and career development
Teaching Faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business (2023–present)

Victoria’s work sits where most leadership development falls apart, the culturally and ethically delicate moments leaders avoid. She helps multicultural leaders lead with clarity, build trust across difference, and communicate through uncertainty.

She didn’t need more credentials. She needed a vehicle that could carry her point of view into the world in a way people could recognize, share, and hire.

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“I already had the doctorate. The book was the thing that turned my expertise into a real platform, and it helped elevate me into a teaching faculty role at Duke.”

—Victoria Shiroma Wilson

What Changed?

Before the Book
• She had the credential stack (PhD/doctorate-level education, coaching background, serious expertise)
• Like most experts, her authority was trapped inside resumes, client work, and academic/professional circles
• She assumed writing would be solitary, heavy, and linear, and that made it harder to ship

The Manuscripts Shift
• She joined because it was writing in community with editorial support, not “go disappear and come back with a draft”
• The process was built around partnership, editor + designer, MVP cover, iterate, test with real people, then decide
• The book itself became a structured teaching tool, story, lesson, reflective exercises, repeatable for readers
• She realized the work isn’t linear, it’s iterative, and writing in collaboration gave her energy instead of draining it
• Editorial partnership helped her push past imposter syndrome and expand the strongest parts of her message instead of shrinking them

Outcome
• The book elevated the doctorate into a clear, publishable point of view, and that elevation helped her secure a teaching faculty role at Duke Fuqua, not just as a credentialed expert, but as someone with a teachable, structured body of work.

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Establish a category or methodology
Clarify and organize my ideas

Constraints

Limited time / full-time job
Needed structure and accountability
Wanted editorial guidance, not ghostwriting

Role

Academic / educator

Watch Deep Dive

Kimberly Sauceda

Authors

Kimberly Sauceda, CPCC, PCC
Strategic advisor to Fortune 500s + startups, international speaker, executive coach, former Apple
Best-selling author of Meet Me on the Bridge

Kimberly’s work is about one thing most leadership programs dance around, relationships at work. Not vibes. Not “communication tips.” Real bridge-building that changes how teams perform.

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“I realized, I can do this. This actually is a possibility.”

—Kimberly Sauceda

What Changed?

The Transformation Story

1) The “Nudge” Moment
She didn’t wake up one day thinking, “I’m going to be an author.”
A friend in the program talked with her long enough for the switch to flip, and suddenly the idea wasn’t for “other people.” It was possible for her too.

2) The Overwhelm-to-Execution System
The program didn’t throw her into a blank Google Doc and wish her luck.
It broke the work into a process that matched how she thinks:
• write snippets
• turn them into stories
• turn stories into chapters
• add hooks

That structure took her from overwhelm to momentum, and she felt like it was “made exactly for me.”

3) The People, Not Just the Pages
This wasn’t only about writing. It was about being surrounded by leaders who were honest about the messy parts, leadership journeys, and “building bridges.” That community shaped the book and strengthened her message.

4) The Editorial Partnership That Made the Book Real
She’s blunt about the difference-maker: her editors.
“This book would not be here without the two of them.”
And she doubles down later: “Go find some amazing editors… Find a community.”

5) The Clarity That Let Her Finish
What unlocked the writing wasn’t motivation. It was strategy.
Getting clear on the goal, what she wanted the book to do, is what helped her write it.

The Result (What the book did)

Her book didn’t just exist on Amazon. It became the centerpiece of her leadership platform.
• A clear, teachable framework (her “Bridge” metaphor) people can use at work
• Stronger authority as a speaker and executive coach
• A flagship program and keynote topic that companies can say “yes” to quickly
• A brand that ties her corporate leadership background to a simple, sticky idea: results come through relationships

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Clarify and organize my ideas
Support a consulting or speaking business
Use a book as a business asset

Constraints

Limited time / full-time job
First-time author
Needed structure and accountability
Balancing book with business or leadership role

Role

Consultant / advisor

Watch Deep Dive

Katya Davydova

Authors

Katya Davydova, MSOD, ACC
Leadership coach, facilitator, TEDx speaker
Author of Joy in Plain Sight: Stories and Essays Celebrating Wonder in the Ordinary (May 2022)

Katya’s work lives at the intersection of leadership, presence, and joy. She’s led leaders and teams through high-impact sessions across major organizations, and her signature idea is simple but rare: wonder isn’t fluff, it’s a practice you can teach.

Book recognition
• 2022 PenCraft Book Award, First Place
• 2022 IAN Book of the Year Award, Finalist

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“The book didn’t just get published. It turned my message into an asset I could deliver at scale, and it helped me grow into 700+ workshops and sessions.”

—Katya Davydova

What Changed?

Before the Book
• She already had the skills: coaching, facilitation, leadership development
• Her “joy + wonder” philosophy was compelling, but hard to package fast
• Like most facilitators, growth depended on word-of-mouth, one room at a time

After Publishing Joy in Plain Sight
• The book became her authority anchor, the thing that makes people say “Send me that” and “We should bring her in”
• Her message got portable and repeatable, not just a vibe people felt in a session
• It opened new doors for stages, universities, and organizations because it proved her ideas had depth and structure
• It accelerated her shift from “great facilitator” to category-based leader with a named body of work
• It helped her launch and scale a workshop format (joy habits), so the impact could grow beyond a single keynote

Result: the book helped her scale into 700+ workshops and sessions, and turned her mission into a platform instead of a schedule.

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Support a consulting or speaking business,
Establish a category or methodology
Use a book as a business asset

Constraints

Needed structure and accountability
Wanted editorial guidance, not ghostwriting
Limited time / full-time job

Role

Consultant / advisor

Watch Deep Dive

Jeff Shannon

Authors

Master Facilitator (Strategy Offsites, Business Planning, Leadership Development)
Author of Hard Work Is Not Enough and Lead Engaging Meetings
Former Conagra Brands leader (17 years)

Jeff spent 17 years inside Conagra building brands, leading strategy, and running leadership development programs. Then he stepped out to build a facilitation business where leadership teams hire him to guide their most important meetings.

Today he leads 80+ strategy, business planning, and leadership development workshops per year for organizations including Airlite Plastics, Cargill, Deloitte, FNBO, Google, Kiewit, Lutz, Macy’s, and Union Pacific.

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“The book turned my work from word-of-mouth to a scalable platform, now I lead 80+ high-stakes workshops a year.”

—Jeff Shannon

What Changed?

Before the Book
• Strong reputation, mostly driven by referrals
• High expertise, limited “proof at scale”
• Harder to explain his approach quickly to new buyers

After Publishing
• Clear “product” for his expertise (book as credibility + method)
• Faster trust with leadership teams before the first call
• Easier to scale beyond referrals (book does the pre-selling)
• Positioned as a recognized voice on meeting leadership and credibility at work
• Business matured into a high-volume, high-trust facilitation engine (80+ workshops/year)

The real shift: the book became the asset that carries his reputation into rooms he hasn’t walked into yet.

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Clarify and organize my ideas
Support a consulting or speaking business,
Establish a category or methodology

Constraints

Limited time / full-time job
First-time author
Needed structure and accountability
Balancing book with business or leadership role

Role

Consultant / advisor
Founder / entrepreneur

Watch Deep Dive

Jamie Bosse

Authors

Jamie Bosse
Financial Advisor | Founder of the Money Boss Mom Platform
Author of Money Boss Mom and the Milton children’s series

InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 Honoree
InvestmentNews Women to Watch (2024 & 2025)

Jamie helps moms take control of their financial futures through practical, accessible planning rooted in real-life family experience.

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“The book allowed me to reach families I could never meet one-on-one — and positioned me as a trusted voice for moms nationwide.”

—Jamie Bosse

What Changed?

Before the Book:
• Writing blog content for clients
• Serving families locally
• Building credibility within firm

After the Book:
• National industry recognition
• Major award honors
• Platform authority in a niche market
• Transition to larger firm
• Recognized voice in women-focused financial planning

That’s a transformation.

Goal

Build authority or thought leadership
Clarify and organize my ideas
Use a book as a business asset

Constraints

Limited time / full-time job
First-time author
Balancing book with business or leadership role

Role

Consultant / advisor

Jesse Cheng

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Authors

Jessie Cheng
Author of Unglamored
Marketing & Events Professional in Global Entertainment

• Published debut novel on eating disorders in the entertainment industry (2021)
• Works across Live Nation, artist marketing, VIP touring, and global events
• Certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach
• Advocate for Asian American mental health representation

Jessie bridges storytelling, pop culture, and social impact — turning narrative into opportunity.

Modern Author Program

“ ”
“My novel didn’t just tell my story. It opened doors in the entertainment industry I couldn’t access before.”

—Jesse Cheng

What Changed?

Before the Book
• Blog writing during lockdown
• Private healing process
• Industry-adjacent marketing roles

After Publishing Unglamored
• Reconnected with unexpected industry leaders
• Built credibility as a mental health voice in entertainment
• Expanded platform within live events and artist marketing
• Elevated career trajectory across global entertainment brands
• Positioned as a recovery coach and cultural advocate

The book transformed vulnerability into professional leverage.

Goal

Publish a legacy or mission-driven book
Support a consulting or speaking business

Constraints

First-time author
Not a confident writer
"Wanted editorial guidance, not ghostwriting"

Role

Memoir & Fiction Project
Nonprofit or mission-driven leader

Watch Deep Dive